Signaling device



J. R. POWER sIGNALING DEVICE July 7, 1936.

Filed Sept. 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /NVENTOR J. R. POWER www, 6.1M

ATTORNEY July? 7,- 1936- f J. R. Powr-:R .l 2,046,698 n SIGNALING DEVICE v Filed Sept. 28, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L INE /NvE/VroR J. R. POWER me@u e. ma@

ATTORNEY Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES ,PATENT OFFICE 2,046,698 A SIGNALING DEVICE Application September 28, i932, Serial No. 635%?) 94 Claims. (Cl. i777) This invention relates to signaling devices and more `particularly to alternating current ringers for telephone substations.

An object of this invention is to improve the eciency and operating characteristics of signaling devices.

In one embodiment illustrative of this invention, an alternating current ringer comprises a synchronous motor adapted to be operated by the ringing current. A percussion member is loosely `mounted upon the shaft of the motor and is disposed in operable relation to a clapper for actuating a signaling member such as a gong. The percussion member is connected to the shaft by a retractile spring and is associated with the rotor of the motor by a clutch, the operation oi which is controlled by the retractile spring. v

When excitation or ringing current is applied to the motor, the clutcliy automatically locks the percussion member to the rotor so that the latter revolves with the rotor one direction and tensions the retractile spring.

When the energy in the spring has reached a predetermined amount, the clutch releases and the percussion member is revolved at high velosity in the opposite direction and impinges upon the clapper oi the signaling member. The clutc'n thereupon again loess the "percussion member to the rotor and the' sequence oi' operations repeated. f

TheA motor and spring are preferably so designed that the-rotor will revolve at a relatively lcW speed and that the signaling member will be actuated at relatively Widely' separated intervals.

The percussion member is also preferably so constructed that the point of striking oi tireI member and the clapper is coincident with the ,center of percussion oi the member.

The invention and the features thereoiT will be understood more fully and. clearly from the following detailed description with reference 'to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front view in elevation of a ringer constructed in accordance with this invention with parte broken away to show details doi? construction;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section and partly broken away, to show the shait and the bearings for the rotor;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View oi in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View showing the assotlie ringer shown ciation oi the rotor, percussion member and the` clapper of the ringer; v

,oi the cores i@ and 2i,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the stator pole pieces;

Fig. 6 illustrates the relation of the rotor and stator segments;

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the connections of 5 the motor embodied in a ringer in `accordance with this invention; and

Fig. 8 is a vector diagram showing the phase relation of the voltage and current in the stator of the motor.

Referring new to the drawings, an alternating current ringer illustrative of one embodiment of this invention, comprises a U-shaped per manent magnet it and flanged pole pieces it and li which are secured to the arms of the l5 magnet oy bolts i3 extending through clamping bars or bands irl. A non-magnetic plate i5, which may be oi brass, is secured'to the pole pieces ii and i2 by bolts it, and is providedvvith oppcsitely directed anges il' and it for mount- 2o ing the ringer. A pair oi magnetic cores i9 are secured. to the pole piece it by bolts it. Another pair of magnetic cores 2l are secured to the pole piece i2 by bolts and extend parallel to the cores i9. Excitation coils 23 and 221i are 25 mounted upon the cores it and 2i respectively, and are electrically connected in series as shown schematically in Fig. '"1 so that the coils in. each .pair are of opposite polarity.

.-l nonunagnetic plate 2t, which. may be Gr.39 brass, is seated upon the adjacent ends of coils and ifi and is provided with a plurality of apertures through which the cores it and 2l extend. The plate member 25 is further provided with a plurality of slots 2l to reduce eddy 35 currents in the plate, and is formed with an inverted l.sl1aped bracket it.

A. plurality of magnetic members, one for each are mounted upon the plate is, and, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, 40 consist of a segmental base portion 2t and a plurality of. milled teeth or segments 3d arranged. on the arc of a circle. These magnetic members comprise the pole pieces of the stator of the motor. The base 29 of each'pole piece `is secured to the corresponding core by a machine. screw 3i threaded into the core `and is secured to `the plate it; by rivets 32.

A stationary sha't extends between the plate iid and an arm 3d on the ilange 2t, and is 50 provided with a threaded portion 35 at one end which extends into a bore in the arm 34 and has threaded'thereon a lock nut 36. Av bracing bracket 31 is secured to the arm 34 by machine screws 38, and toithe magnet Ill by a clamping 5 bracket 39 secured to the bracket 31 by a bolt 40. The shaft 33 is also provided with spaced enlarged portions42 which form bearings for a rotor and a percussion member.

The rotor, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, comprises a flat, circular disc 43`concentrical1y disposed within the teeth or segments 30 of the stator and provided with circumferential teeth or segments 44, the spacing' of which is equal to the spacing of the teeth 30 of the stator. The disc 43 is provided with a tubular hub 45 which engages thebearings 42 on the shaft 33. The relative disposition of the segments on the rotor Yand on the stator is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6 in which the four groups of segments on the stator pole pieces are designated generally as A and B connected to the coils 23, and C and D which are connected to the coils 24. As shown in this ligure, the rotor and the stator are so correlated that when the stator segments in one group, such as group A, are in alignment with the adjacent rotor segments, the stator segments in the adjacent group having the same magnetic polarity, such as group B, are in alignment with the interstices `between the corresponding rotor segments. Following `the diagram in a clockwise direction, the stator segments in group C are advanced a quarter pitchwith respect to the corresponding rotor segments and the stator segments in group D are displaced a quarter pitch behind the corresponding segments of the rotor.

In the 'specic embodiment shown, the stator and the rotorI constitute a two-pole, two-phase synchronous motor, the electrical connections of the stator of which are shown schematically in Fig. 7. As shown in this figure, the coils 23 and 24 are connected in series across the' line together with a series condenser 46 for blocking direct currents. The coils 24 are shunted by a condenser 41 so that as indicated vectorally in Fig. 8, the current IL2 through the coils 23 leads the current Im through the coils 24 by approximately 90 degrees. 'Ihe coils in each pair 23 and 24 are so 'connected that when the magnetizi'ng force of one coil of a pair aids that of the permanent magnet 0, the magnetizing force of the Aother coil opposes that of the magnet. When anV excitation current is applied to the coils,' the rotor advances in step automatically and revolves at a speedequal to that of the stator field divided by the number of rotor segments. corresponding to the position of the rotor shown in Fig. 6, that is, when the current is at a maximum in the coils connected to the segments of f groups A and Brand a minimum in the coils connected to the segments of groups C and D,

and in such' a direction that the magnetizing force due to the current in coil A aids that of the magnet I0, the rotor segments in juxtaposition to the stator segments of group A are in.

alignment and the torque eiective between `the "rotor and the stator segments of group A has reached a maximum, while the torqueeffective between the rotor and the stator segments of group B is a minimum. The onlyiiux between the rotor and the stator segments constituting groups C and D is that of the permanent magnet so that the torques effective 4between the rotor and the segments of groups C and D are counterbalanced. At the end of the next succeeding quarter-cycle the rotor has revolved in a clockwise direction so that'the rotor segments Assuming a point in the current cycle are in alignment with the stator segments in group C, out of alignment with the segments in group D, and one-quarter pitch out of alignment with segments of groups A and B. At this point, the torque effective between the rotor and the segments of group C has reached a maximum while the torque effective between the rotor and the stator segments of group D is a minimum. The turques effective between the rotor and the stator segments of groups A and 1 B are counterbalanced. On succeeding quartercycles the torque between the rotor .and the stator segments of group B vfirst reaches a maximum and finally the torque between the rotor and the stator segments of group D ieaches a maximum.

A percussion member is loosely mounted upon the shaft 33 and includes a hub 48 which rests upon one end of the hub 45 of the rotor, an arm 49, and an enlarged head or hammer 50. 2

l The percussion member is connected to the shaft 33 by a spiral torsion spring 5| and is detachably coupled to the rotor by a springclutch consisting of a featherspring 52 which is secured at one end to the head or hammer 50 and is adaptedg to bevengaged at its free end by a stud 53 secured to the rotor-disc 43. A push rod or clapper 54 extends slidably'through the arms of the L-shaped flange 28 and is connected to one of 'the arms by a helical spring 55. The 3 push rod orv clapper is adapted to be struck by the head or hammer 50 of the percussion member to actuate a signaling `member such as a gong 56, a stop member suchas a set screw 51 being provided to limit `the strokeV of the head 3 or hammer.

Inasr'nuch as substantially the entire energy of the spring 5| is expended in rotating the percussion member, a high mechanical eiiiciency is obtained. `In order to further insure a high efficiency, the percussion member is preferably so proportioned that the point of striking between the head or hammer 50 and the push rod or clapper 54 is coincident with the center of percussion of the percussion member and also so `that the mass of the hammer 50 is equal to the ma/ss of the clapper 54.

The seguence of operations in the device described isi as follows: When an alternating voltage is applied to the line, the rotor advances 50 in step with the stator eld and revolves,-in the clockwise direction. The stud 53 engages the featherspring 52 and locks .the percussion member to the rotor. As the percussion member revolves with the rotor, the spiral spring 5| is 55 wound upto store up energy. Ata predetermined point, depending vupon the physical constants o1' the springs 5| and 52, the force exerted upon the percussion member by the spiral .spring 5| becomes suiiicient to disengage the vand the sequence oi' voperations is repeated.

Thegmotor may, of course, be so constructed intervals Foreiiample, thel ringer shown and described may be operated on a 20cycle ringing circuitin which thexringing current `is. applied -for two seconds at four-second intervals. The.

thatith 'signal 'gon'g will be actuated at desired 70 motor is designed to have a speed of one-half revolution per second so that the signal gong is actuated at six-second intervals.

Although a specific embodiment of thisinvention has been shown and described, modicati'ons may be made, of course, without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A signaling device comprising a rotor adapted to revolve in one direction only, means for revolving said rotor in said one direction, signaling means, an actuating member for said Signaling means, a clutch connecting said actuating member to said rotor, and elastic means fixed at one end and flxedly coupled to said actuating member and operable when stressed to a predetermined degree to release said clutch and to revolve said member in the direction opposite tothat of said rotor to actuate said signaling means.

2. A signaling device comprising a stationary member, a rotor, a mass member, a clutch for connecting said rotor and said mass member, signaling means, an elastic body coupled to said stationary' member and attached to said mass member, and means for revolving said rotor and said mass member in one direction whereby energy is stored in said elastic body, said elastic body being operable to automatically release said clutch and to revolve said mass member in a direction opposite to the rotation of said rotor to actuate said signaling means, said clutch being operable upon continuedvrotation of said rotor in said one direction to reconnect said mass member and said rotor.

3. A signaling device comprising a shaft, a rotor and a percussion member rotatable on said shaft, signaling means associated with said percussion member, a torsion "spring xed at one end and connected to said percussion member and adapted to be stressed by rotation of said member, a clutch for locking said percussion member to said rotor, and means for revolving said rotor, said clutch being automatically releasable by'a predetermined stress in said spring whereby said percussion member is operated to actuate said signaling means and being operable upon continued rotation of said rotor in said one direction to recouple said percussion member to said rotor.

4. A signaling device comprising a shaft, a rotor and a percussion member rotatable on said shaft, signaling means, a spring member secured to said percussionmember and frctionally engaging said rotor, means for revolving said rotor and percussion member in one direction, and a retractile spring secured to said shaft and to said percussion member, adapted to be stressed by rotation of said member in said one direction, said retractile spring ibeing effective when stressed to release said spring member from said rotor and to revolve said percussion member in an opposite direction to actuatesaid signaling means.

5. A signaling device comprising a motor including a shaft, a rotor mounted upon said shaft,

a percussion member rotatable on said shaft, a spiral spring secured to said shaft and to said member, a stud carried by said rotor, a cantilever spring having one end secured to said member and the other end engaging said stud, said spiral spring being 'operable when stressed by rotation of said member in one direction to disengage one end of said cantilever spring from said stud and to revolve said member in an opposite direction, and signaling means actuable by said member.

6. A signaling device comprising a motor having a stator and a rotor revolvable in one direction only, a mass member adjacent said rotor, signal ing means, means for coupling said mass member to said rotor, and an elastic member fixed at one end and connected to said mass member and adapted to be tensioned by rotation of said mass member and rotor in said one direction, said elastic member being effective when stressed to release said coupling means and to revolve said mass member in opposition to the rotation of said rotor to actuate said signaling means.

7. An alternating current ringer comprising a frame, a motor including a stator mounted on said frame, a stationary shaft supported on said frame, a rotor mounted on said shaft, a percus-` sion member rotatable on said shaft, a signal gong, a spiral spring connected to said member and to said shaft adapted to be tensioned by rotation of said member and rotor in one direction, and a clutch for locking said member to said rotor, said clutch being 'operable by a predetermined stress in said spiral spring to release said percussion member from said rotor to ac-- tuate said gong and being also operable upon continued rotation of said rotor in said one direction to relock said member to said rotor.

8. A signaling device comprising a shaft, a rotor pivoted on said shaft, means for revolving said rotor in one direction, a percussion member pivoted on said shaft, a clutch connecting said rotor and said member, means operable to release said clutch and revolve said member in the direction opposite to that of said 1fotor, said clutch being operable to reconnect said rotorand said member upon continued rotation of said rotor in said one direction, and signaling means adapted to be struck by said member.

9. A signaling device comprising a signal gong, means including a rotatable member for actuating said gong, and means for revolving said member periodically in opposite directions including a motor having a rotor adapted to revolve in one direction only, a clutch for connecting said rotor to said member upon rotation of said rotor in said one direction, and spring means having a fixed portion and attached to said member and adapted when stressed by Arotation of said rotor in said one direction to release said clutch, whereby said member is disconnected from said rotor, and to revolve said member in the opposite direction. s L JAMES R. POWER. 

